Massage apparatus.



DE FOREST B. GATLIN.

' MASSAGE APPARATUS. APPLICATION" FILED mm. a1. 1913.

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V I3 as 4 w Jnuenfon 34 1 #7185585; FDE p3,. 65 1 Patented Sept. 15, 19M.

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' In the accompany ng drawings formmg out ofworking order '1) STATES ii-manner sms:

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Application flled'December 31,1913. Serial Ilia. 809,788.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DE Fonns'r B. GA'rprN,

a citizen of the United States, residing'at Mankato, in the county of Blue Earth and Stateof Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Massage Apparatus, of which the following is a specificauon.

.The object of this invention is the production of a massage apparatus, which is sim-.

w pler, more durable, more easil regulated by the user to vary the length stroke of the 'reciprocable member and more effective and has greater range of regulation than in prior devices. More particularly this inventlon 1s an imrovement upon the apparatus disclosed in atent Number 1,059,594, granted tome on A ril22,1913L a 0 this en 1 my invention consistsof the features of co struction and combination of parts set forth in the following description and the novel features pointed out in the part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of myinvention'; Fig. 2 is a plan; Fig. 3 is a plan of a detail, part of the structurebeing broken away and in section for the purpose of more clearly disclosing the o structilreyFig 4 is an elevation of a detail showing the parts which areillustrated in- Fig. 3 partly'broken away and in section; Fig. 5 is an end view of a detail partl broken away and in section; Figsfi and '5 are perspective views of details showing the opposite ends of the racks and the links by which the'massage device is' adapted to be secured to the apparatus for use; Fig. 8 is 7 a perspective of a detail showing the conl struction by which the pitman is secured to the reciprocating element, and Fig. 9 is a f side view of a detail showing the method of attaching the pitman to the crank disk. In the patent above referred to, which was issued to me, the mode of varying the length of stroke of the reciprocable member for imparting a vibrating or rubbing movement to the massage device is by shifting-the Q point of connection on a rocker element which is interposed between two pitmans. .1 This isobjectionable because it is too far from the person taking massage treatment to be regulated except by stopping the treatment. The construction is also objectionable because' it has been fre u'ently found to get stroke within easier. reach ith the present 1nening said stroke is by varying the distance between the holders of the massage device, thereby placing the means for changing the of the operator who is receivin massage treatment. The

adjustment of t e holders is also. combined directly withthereciprocable member, thus rendermgthe apparatus free from troublesome repa1rs. I

In the drawings, a suitable rime moveris employed and a base upon w ich all of the operating parts are adapted to be mounted. A 1nd1cates one form of prime mover such as an electric motor, it being obvious that any other form. of prime mover such as a gas or steam eng1ne,water motor or mechanical drive mechanism maybe employed 2 indicates a base and 3, a stand of suit. ableconstruction for supportingthe recipsaid stand being secured to said base such as by bolts 4. The motor rocable member,

shaft -5 has mounted thereon a crankdisk such as 6, which is connected to a reciprocable member B by a pitman 7, said pitman having a hmckle joint 8 selectively secured to the crank disk mom of the opegs 9 by a in 10.. These openings are positioned at di erent distances radially from the center of said disk, so that the stroke of the pitmar:1 can be permanently changed when desire The reciprocable member B is in the form of an arm having substantially midway between its ends anenlarged portion forming a cup llwhich is closed on its front and rearward. sides by plates 12 and 13 held by screws 14. This cup forms a-pair of passages 15 and 16 (see Fig. 5) alongthe front and back edges of said arm, in which a air of racks 17 and 18 are guided along an toends o these racks harm secured thereto a pair of guideloops 19 nd 20, which are adapted to slide longitudinally upon the arm and form holders for links 21, there being one guide or holder on the outer end of each rack bar. These links-are pivotally attached to the'hold'er's by pins 22. 'The teeth of-the racks 1'1 and 18 face inwardly" toward each other and mesh with the teeth of-a pinion 23, said pinion being positioned in the cup 11 and carried by a shaft 24, which projects upwardly beyond the upper wall of thejcup. The upwardlyprojectmg Specification of Letters Patent. V Patented Sept. 1 5, 19 14, I

vention theinode oflengthening'g d hort;

ward t e middle portion of the'arm. The

end of this shaft Carries a handle 25 by which the shaft 24 can be turned. to move the racks away from and toward each other. This movement is adapted to regulate the distance between the link holders and thus adjust the length of the reciprocating stroke,

imparted by the racks to the massage device such as a belt of usual construction. the ends 26 of which are indicated in Fig. 2 attached to the links 21 by short straps 27 and buckles 28. The, upper and lower walls of the cup 11 are formed 'With a pair of gudgeons. 29 which are journaled in supports 30 projecting forwardly from the upper portion of the stand 3, the upper of said supports being in the form of a plate 'detachably mounted upon the stand by bolts 31. In this manner the rec iprocablearm is pivoted between its ends to reciprocate in a horizontal plane and the shaft 24 is journaled in the upper projecting gudgeons.

Reciprocating motion is imparted to the reciprocable member and the racks carried by said arm by the pitman 7 which is coupled to the reciprocable member by the collar 33, and the knuckle joint 34:. The knucklejoints 8 and 34 compensate for the swinging motion of the pitman in a vertical plane and the swinging motion, of thereciprocatin' arm in a horizontal plane.

To hold the racks in longitudinally adjusted osition a spring pressed lo'ck pin 36 is slida ly mounted in a socket 37 formed on the front cover plate 13, said pin having a shoulder 38 by which the expansion coil spring 39 seated in said socket is adapted to force the pin toward the side of the rack bar 17. The side of the rack bar 1'7 adjacent the lock pin is formed with a longitudinal series of indentures. 40 which are in the form of shallow curved recesses in which the inner end of the lock-pin 36 is' adapted to engage. The lock pin has a rounded inner end which is adapted 'to be seated in one of the indentures at a time thus holding the rack bar 17 normally from longitudinal movement. As. the rack bar 17 is connected with the rack bar 18 by the intermediate pinion'23 both rack bars are adapted to be held from movement by the lock pin. The

engagement between the lock pin and the v rack bar 17 can be overcome by turning the handle 25, the rack bars thereby being moved into adjusted position, whereupon the lock pin 36 is adapted to again hold them normally fr0m-. further movement along the arm. It will be noted that *the handle 25 by which the position of the link holders is varied is conveniently accessible for any one standing in'front of the machine and re ceiving treatment by the massage device coupled to the links.

In operation the pitman moves in a vertical plane and assists in converting the rotary motion of the crank disk into the reciprocatclaim as new and desire tov ing motion of the member B. This reciprocating member B co-acting with the rack bars and the links, imparts reciprocating or vibrating movement to the massage belt or other device, the stroke of said belt being regulated by the positioning of the holders 19 and-20 on the reciprocable member. This movement of the holders is according to their adjusted position from the axis on which the operatingarm 10 reciprocates. The rack bars have great range of adjustment, they being permitted to slide through passages in the holders to which they are not rigidly secured. In consequence the stroke of the massage belt may be regulated from a small fractional part of an inch to a long stroke which is only limited by the'size of the apparatus.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now considerto re resent the best embodiment thereof, but I esire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims. Y

Having described my invention, what I protect by Letters Patent is j 1. Massage apparatus, comprising, in combination, a reciprocable arm mounted between its ends to swing in substantially a horizontal plane, a pairof rack bars slidable 1 along the sides of said operatifiarm, a pinion-havin ,teeth meshing with the teeth of said rack ars, means for turning said pinion to slide saidrack bars, a support in which said pinion and operating arm are j ournaled, 1

holders carried by the outer ends of said rack bars to which the ends of a massage device are adapted to be connected to receive reciprocating motion and means for reciprocating said operating arm, said rack bars cooperating with said operating arm and being adapted to vary the distance of saidholders from the axis on which said operating arm is journaled to regulate the length of stroke imparted to said massage device.

2. Massage apparatus, comprising, in combi nation, a reciprocable arm, a pair of r bars slidable along'the sides of said operating arm, said operating arm having arecess between its ends, the sides of which form guides for said rack bars, a' pinion having teeth meshingwith the teeth of said rack bars and provided 'withimeans by which it can be turned to move said rack bars along the sides of said operatingarm, asupport in which said operating arm is journaled 'between its ends, holders to which the ends of a massage device are adapted to be connected secured to theouter ends of said rack bars and forming guides over said operating arm for the longitudinal movement of said secured to the outer en rack bars, means for reciprocating said opfor sliding crating arm on its axis and means for holddistance be ing the rack bars in longitudinally adjusted whi h Eosition on said operatin arm, said rack means f are being adapted by t eir longitudinal for holding saidb movement to vary the. stroke imparted to said arin, said b said massage device by said reciprocable adjustment to v arm.

3. Massage apparatus, comprising, in coml'njtestimony wh bination, a reclprocable arm journaled bename to this specifi v tween its ends to reciprocate on an axis, a two subscribing v DE FORESTB. CATLHJ.

pair of bars slidable along opposite sides of sa d operatin arm, guides on said 51m for 'Witnesses:

sald bars, 0 ers to which the ends of a massage device are adapted to be connected said bars 0 tween said holders,

ary the length ereof, I" have cation, in the Emmm 1L. Annamaria.

ds of said bars, means 11 said arm to vary the a support in g arm is journaled,

said arm and means djusted position on ted by their of stroke imsigned my presence of 

